Fly Fishing 101 (Part 2)

In Fly Fishing 101 (Part 1) we discussed the ‘big’ items of a rod, reel, backing and line and this week we are going to finish the deal; this week we will discuss leaders, tippets, flies and miscellaneous equipment. I hope that you will use this information, either now, or later, to buy or to better set up your fly rod. Fly fishing may be something that you have thought about trying or have watched on TV and there is no better time to start than right now.

As I said last week, you will find fly fishing not only an enjoyable art and past time…but an exciting alternative to traditional means of catching fish. This past week I caught several nice fish including a stringer of large bluegill; the one fish that was the most fun was a 15 inch bass that I caught from a small stream and did so with my 3 weight rod and a small spider nymph…a size 12. I know there are larger fish caught but there is just something about moving quietly along in waist deep water and fooling a good bass with a small fly.

Leaders
A leader is just a piece of line that attaches to the fly line and provides a smooth transition between line and tippet. You can buy knotless leaders that will start large and taper down to a tippet size…thus they are called tapered leaders. You can also tie your own leaders and obviously save money. A good idea in today’s world is a furled leader and they can be purchased online or at most fly shops. A furled leader will assist in turning over heavy bugs and will also be price effective in the long run as they are very durable…when your tippet wears down you just use the loop on the end of the furled leader to add a loop (try a perfection loop) to the tippet and attach it back to the leader. I usually start off each day with a new piece of tippet in the correct size to match the size of fly as well as the clarity of the stream.

Tippets
A tippet is the final piece that attaches to the end of the leader. Tippet is a key in fooling the fish. Too large and the fish will blink or shy away from the fly. Too small and you will spend time re-tying flies that have been broken off. Tippet sizes come in#X; from 0X to 8X. The larger the number, the smaller the diameter of the line; thus 8X is much smaller than 0X. As a rule bass will use 0X to 3X. Panfish will use 3X to 5X, and trout will take 4X to 8X. I have tried 7X but have never had any luck and usually run 3X to 5X. Use this info as a guide: 0X is .011 and accommodates a hook size of 1/0 to 4, 1X is .010 and works best with a hook size of 4 to 8, 2X is .009 and works best with a hook size of 6-10, 3 X is .008 and works best with a hook size of 10 to 14, 4X is .007 and works best with a hook size of 12 to 16 and lastly, 5X is .006 and works best with hook sizes of 16 to 24.

Flies:

• Wet/Dry: Pretty simple rule…if on top of the water, it is a dry fly and if under the surface it is considered a wet fly.
• Terrestrials: This is a class of flies that resembles any natural fly or bug…for example: mayflies, ants, grasshoppers, crickets, etc…
• Poppers: Poppers are dry flies that make lots of noise and are very exciting to fish.
• Streamers: Streamers can be a large class of flies characterized by minnow recreations, wooly buggers, etc…
• Nymphs: A nymph recreates a water dwelling insect larva and there are way too many to list.

Here is a website that I use to buy almost all of my flies. They have a great selection and their prices are very good, in fact we can’t tie them for much cheaper ourselves. So if you need or are looking for a great, cheap selection; try www.anglersdream.net

Miscellaneous

• Leader straightener: This is used to straighten or take the memory out of the leader and tippet.
• Hemostats: Hemostats are used to remove a hook imbedded in a fish’s mouth.
• Landing nets: Usually used while fishing light tippet material.
• Line nippers/clippers: Used to trim line…etc after tying knots or to trim flies.
• Fly boxes: Obviously used for keeping and carrying flies.

Knots: There are hundreds of good knots; you need to learn a few that will allow you to make several applications with these knots. Whatever you choose, you must be able to tie the knots quickly, competently and under odd circumstances. I basically use three knots:

• Backing to reel (Duncan knot)
• Backing to fly line (Duncan knot)
• Fly line to leader (whip stitch to form a loop… using Kevlar thread and loop knot in base of leader to join) or Duncan loop, leader to leader or leader to tippet (double over hand knot), tippet to fly (clinch knot or Duncan loop).

Resources:
The LL Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing
Fly Fishing Knots and Connections written by Lefty Kreh